From the Grave of the Gods

The Augment Saga #1

by Alan K. Dell

Strange lights in the sky.
A Red Planet.
A catalyst to change the course of human history.

Commander James Fowler is an astronaut and the first officer of the Magnum Opus, the largest spacecraft ever built, on the first crewed expedition to Mars. The mission: to investigate the mysterious extrasolar object that went down on the Red Planet five years ago. James is living the dream: he gets to go to space and be one of the first to set foot on another world, with his girlfriend, Angela, cheering him on at home. Maybe after the mission, when he's returned a hero, he'll find the perfect moment to finally propose.

But his dreams shatter as the mission ends in disaster.

Returning to a world reeling from the revelation of what they found out there, James works to piece his life back together and come to terms with what happened. But the mission left him changed, and now he must fight to protect everything he holds dear from those who seek advancement at any cost; a process that makes him question his identity, his place in the world, and what it means to be human.

Genres: Science Fiction

458 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 1, 2021

About the author

Alan K. Dell is a British science-fiction author and creative person with far too many hobbies. For his day job he works at the parish administrator for his local church, where he also volunteers as a musician. His hobbies include playing the guitar, illustration, graphic design, photography, astronomy, reading and playing video games. He lives at home in Essex with his wife and two children.

Reviews

[Glenn Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the Grave of the Gods is set in a current-day hard science fiction universe, which then takes you into an adventure of humanity’s first real contact with advanced alien civilizations – an amazing, full-length novel by new author Alan K. Dell.

It’s wonderful to find a great page-turner from a new writer. The deeper I got into this book the more I couldn’t put it down (I know that is cliche’ but very true, I read the last 50% of it in a nearly consecutive 6 hour binge!)

The prologue to the novel presents a sequence of Commander James Fowler’s memories in the format of a forced interrogation of his mind, by an unknown pair of alien tormenters. Some of them are very cryptic but I believe it’s setting up things for the future Augment Series novels. One of these memories leads into the first chapter of this initial novel.

The story begins with the first manned mission to Mars in 2025, a mission to investigate what is at first believed to be an unusual comet impact site. The adventure follows the crew members through the mission as it morphs into a mysterious and traumatic ordeal, and the conspiracies and conspiracies which follow them back on Earth after the mission.

The major characters are very compelling and my connection to the them continued to grow stronger as the plot expanded and the dangers of the adventure deepened. I found myself anxious and personally invested in the jeopardy that the characters faced.

The pacing of the plot shows the patience of a seasoned storyteller, keeping us in the action and also giving the reader time to rest and invest in the characters. The universe that’s set in motion by this story is compelling. I can see how the series has a lot of room to expand and become even more exciting as the future novels come out.

This novel is a wonderful read on its own, and ends with it’s own satisfying conclusion, but I anxiously await Dell’s future novels in this series.

[Velora Venn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so glad I got around to enjoying this book, which has been on my long list of to-be-read. The story is absolutely exceptional and feels like it would translate well to a Hollywood film.

It takes place in the near future and centers around the lives of two astronauts in particular - an American named Austin and a British man named James. Both are well written and have their individual personalities that are likeable and relatable. James takes center stage throughout most of the novel, and I like to think of the first few chapters as the aliens being the stars and the middle and later chapters being more centered on James and the extraordinary things revolving around him. Something fun that I thoroughly enjoyed was that the author included a character called Guy Furious who is basically the equivalent of a famous, crazy-haired, alien-obsessed man on TV who shall go unnamed! He was a really interesting addition.

Overall, the book was enjoyable from start to finish, and I'd recommend it to anyone who is interested in aliens & science fiction (and possibly even superheroes?). My only real criticism that I have is, at one point late in the book, the protagonist and his long-term girlfriend have a very intimate scene, which just felt really out of nowhere. I am certainly not opposed to romance in the slightest, and I actually prefer books with romance. I just think that kind of detailed scene felt out of place? Still, not anything to dissuade anyone from reading by any means. The sci-fi storyline alone is absolutely intriguing and well done. Hardcore sci-fi readers and fans will also find the author's vast knowledge and competence on the subject impressive.

This first book in the series lays the groundwork for all the incredible things left to come, and I'm excited to see what happens next!

[Matt G · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was fortunate enough to receive an early copy of From the Grave of the Gods, and after enjoying the Novella before this a couple of times, I was not disappointed after reading book one of the saga.

I’m not one to describe why I felt it’s a great read but if you really enjoy something that someone has poured hours upon hours into, then it’s worth showing that appreciation.

Looking forward to the next one :)

[James Geary · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the Grave of Gods is a great, well-paced read, with a lot of action plus mystery and intrigue. Being a Stargate fan, I do love any fiction that brings aliens and their technology into a contemporary human setting, and this story definitely delivers on that. At the same time, there are many questions left unanswered that makes me really excited for sequels. Five stars. Highly recommend.

[Andr Moș · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a ride! I didn’t know what to expect going into this story, and I was still guessing by the end. I was on the edge of my seat for most of the last half of the book, if not for the action, then the masterful characters that Alan Dell has woven. I will definitely be continuing this series. I’m too emotionally invested not to.

[Azrah · Rating 3 out of 5]

[This review can also be found on my BLOG]

**I read this book as a judge for the third annual Self Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC), this review is solely my own and does not reflect the opinions of the whole team**

CW: violence, blood, injury, murder, death, medical content, confinement, sexual content
--

The book predominantly follows 2 astronauts of the first crewed mission to Mars to explore the impact site of an unusual comet that flashed past in the sky 5 years previously. The beginning of the book follows the initial space exploration/Mars landing storyline with British astronaut, James Fowler taking centre stage. Then a good chunk of the rest of the book follows the characters back on Earth and the aftermath of their mission on the entire world as well as to their individual lives. The POVs have a bit more of a balance later in the book with American astronaut, Austin Queen also getting his chance to shine.

I was immediately hooked in by the prologue but it becomes clear as you progress through the book that the set-up there is very much for the series as a whole rather than this book alone.

The writing is good and there is some great attention to detail when it comes to capturing the setting in those initial Mars landing scenes. This was all wonderfully immersive and I was really engaged with following the mission.

The dialogue between the characters did feel a little off at first as you had a group of characters who had been together in space for months speaking as though it was their first ever interaction with one another but it wasn’t too long before this aspect found its feet.

I really enjoyed the science side of things which definitely falls onto the hard sci-fi end of the spectrum but never got overly confusing as to take you away from the story. This aspect in particular showed how much time and research Dell put into the novel.

About a third of the way in the story starts to have a more action/thriller type theme with sci-fi elements. This did switch up the overall vibe a bit but the action was written well. However, I think how the attention to detail continued in these latter parts of the book to describe more mundane scenes hindered the flow of the story a little as it slowed down the overall pace.

The narrative also narrowed down to focus on the exploration of the more domestic and personal stakes succeeding the world-changing events in the novel but I was personally unable to connect with the protagonists in order to appreciate this fully.

The characters didn’t really grab my attention enough to say that I particularly like one of them more than the others and it was more the direction of the plot that intrigued me enough keep me reading.

Respectfully I think the first part of the book was the strongest and most original conceptually but overall the book was an entertaining enough with a satisfactory conclusion that allows you to read it as a standalone but also does well to lay out the foundations for how the series is going to expand.

[Conrad Altmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a ride! I didn’t know what to expect going into this story, and I was still guessing by the end. I was on the edge of my seat for most of the last half of the book, if not for the action, then the masterful characters that Alan Dell has woven. I will definitely be continuing this series. I’m too emotionally invested not to.

[Geetha Krishnan]

This was one of my books for the SPSFC, and I have to say that overall, it was an enjoyable read. The plot was set up well, and outer space and aliens always make for an interesting read. Despite the exciting plot, I failed to connect with the characters and their relationships which, considering that the stakes in this one were mostly personal, really affected my enjoyment. That said, this would appeal to those who like hard sci fi, medical mysteries and colonisation fics. Despite the many flaws, it's still a very interesting book and a good set up to the rest of the series.

[Gary J Mack · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a page turner of a book, and for a first time author it’s structured and paced really well. I’m not going to give any spoilers away but I loved the central protagonist and the issues he faces, and moral judgements he needs to make in the book are very real. James Fowler’s story is far more alien following his return to Earth where he finds key authoritative figures who should have supported him begin to subvert. Slowly his story is built upon until you begin to understand why he is as much a subject of the microscope as the aliens his mission could have found. Like all good sci-fi it brings real life issues and investigates them with a fictional stance. Particularly on the spotlight of the media and the metaphorical dissection of James life. I am really looking forward to the sequel. Bravo.

[Annette Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the Grave of the Gods by Alan K Dell is part heart pounding space adventure and part meditation on what it means to be human, but the whole package is pure entertainment from beginning to end.
The book opens with a dramatic prologue that immediately had me hooked , it definitely piqued my curiosity about what lies ahead, and having finished the book , I am even more curious to see how it ties into the series as a whole.
The first half of the book, set in the near future, focuses on the first manned mission to Mars, where Commander James Fowler is part of a crew sent to investigate the site of an apparent comet strike on the planet surface. Once they arrive they discover that the comet was in fact an alien spacecraft and so the nature of the mission changes. Determined not to alarm the earth's population the mission is recoded top secret and the team sent to investigate the crash site with tragic consequences.
Injuries sustained on the alien ship render Fowler unconscious for the return to earth and in fact for almost a year afterwards, meaning that when he finally wakes he is faced with a world very different from the one he left behind. However the world is not the only thing that has changed, in fact Fowler seems to have developed supernatural healing powers that make him effectively immortal. Suddenly he is an "asset" or a "threat" depending on perspective, and he is forced to go on the run to protect himself and those he loves, while trying to figure out who or what he has become.
This book starts out as hard sci-fi, and I especially liked that aspect of the story. I enjoyed my time with the crew of the Magnum Opus, I felt like the dynamics between the characters felt believable and I was invested in the success of the mission. I also thought the author did and excellent job of creating tension once the exploration of the alien craft began, I literally could not put the book down until I finished that section of the book. It was thrilling and so well described that I could completely picture what was going on.
The second half of the book is set on earth and deals with the consequences of the mission, especially for Commander Fowler, and while this meant the pace slowed for a while it also allowed me as a reader to connect more with the character and his struggles, both physical and emotional. It did not take long for the pace to pick up again and the story moved into military thriller territory, which I was not expecting but still enjoyed.
Overall this was a really gripping read and I am still looking forward to knowing more about what that prologue was hinting at, so I am definitely going to be continuing with The Augment Saga, I'm really intrigued to see how it all plays out.

[S. Bavey · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the Grave of the gods begins with a Prologue filled with torture of Commander James Fowler by someone painfully looking through his memories.
The main story then begins with a 2025 mission to Mars. The crew is going to investigate what they assume is a large comet that was seen crashing onto the planet.
After the nail-biting prologue the pace felt a little too slow and lacking in excitement. The crew are all introduced along with information about the mission they are on during this first part. They are all very disparate characters, from different countries, and the character work is one of the author’s strengths in this book.
When they get to Mars, they see a huge, crashed, alien spacecraft rather than a comet, and decide to investigate, despite having no weapons. The crash was five years ago so surely anything that had survived would now be dead, right?
Of course this is not the case and here the pace picks up substantially, with deadly consequences for one of the crew. The main character, James experiences a life-changing event that puts him into a coma.
James awakens in a hospital bed after a year and a half in a coma and from then on all of the action of the book takes place on Earth which I found a little disappointing. My interest had been piqued by the warrior aliens we had been introduced to in the first part, and then we didn’t see any more interactions with them. Instead a kind of mad scientist/superhero story emerged which took me by surprise.
From the Grave of the Gods was an entertaining read, but it was not what I was expecting at all.

[Barry Ryerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the near-future, a manned mission to Mars discovers more than just rock formations. One of the team ends up in a coma and, upon awakening, discovers that his whole life is about to change forever.

This is a well-written book that pays homage to classic scifi authors like Greg Bear and Arthur C. Clarke, painting a realistic picture of human exploration, obsessions, and frailty.

The only aspect I'd critique are the odd occasions where the pace slows right down as unnecessary details are delivered (such as during some bus journeys).

Without that, I'd happily give this 5 stars as I loved the characters, the flow of the story, and how it moves seamlessly from exploration to discovery to tense thriller and action.

Loved this book, will absolutely be getting the next one. Highly recommended.

[Stephen Winter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic read for fans of science fiction, especially those drawn to stories about first contact and space exploration. The world-building is immersive, accessible, and wildly imaginative. I also appreciate an author who trusts the reader to keep up and connect the dots, and this one does exactly that!

Awesome read, Alan!

[Steve Lear · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly inspirational book, sheer enjoyment from start to finish. Absolutely cannot wait for the next book from this excellent author.

[aspeccharactersoftheday]

Captain Austin Queen from The Augment Saga is aromantic asexual!

https://www.tumblr.com/aspeccharacter...